Improvement in croquet apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATTHEW C. BOGIA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND THEODORE A. ZIMMERMAN, OF HIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN CROQUET APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,735, dated February 17, 1874; application filed August 20, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MATTHEW C. Boem, of the city and countyY of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, and THEoDoRE A. ZIMMERMAN, of Hightstown, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Game of Bagatelle Croquet; and we do hereby declare the fot lowing to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof, sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention ap pertains to fully understand, make, and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a view of the ground, showing the manner of playing the gaine. Fig. 2 is a side view ot' one of the cups employed in the game. Fig. 3 is a vertical section thereof.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts in the several 1i gures.

This invention consists in a game, the material parts of which are cups to be inserted in the ground, balls to enter the cups, and mallets to drive the balls.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a cup, which is formed to be inserted into the ground where the game is to be played. Nine cups, C, will be employed, and are numbered, respectively, one to nine. Nine balls are requisite, of which the odd one will be the king, and the remainder will be in twos, and known as red, white, blue, and black, so that there will be one ball for each cup. The cups are arranged` in rows opi' three each, diagonally or diamond form, and driven into the ground so that their tops will be tiush or level with the latter, and the balls thereby readily enter the cups. The king ball B is employed as a target, and is placed at a distance, say three feet, from t-he first cup, the saine bein g reckoned as the one nearest to the startingpoint. There will be two balls for each player. The iirst player arranges his ball some distance from the king,and strikes it with a mallet, D, so as to direct the latter to the cups, and deposit it in one of them. It the king ball is deposited in any ot' the cups, it counts double of that cup. If the black balls are deposited by any player they are counted to the owner, and it' both are deposited by other players,I the one who holds the black ball has the right to take oneof his balls ont of the lowest number of the c'up.

The player can go for the cups to make his count, or can croquet away other players balls. If he misses getting in the cups, or hitting any of the players balls, he stops and the next player goes on. He can only use one ball until it is deposited in the cup, then take in his turn the other ball, and commence at the base. No player can have two balls out of the cups to play with, unless accident` ally knocked out after having been deposited. Each player is to do the best he can to get other players balls iu the cups, as they count to his game, except the black balls, which count to the owner when the black balls are deposited. The next player goes on, and they are counted as a miss when deposited by any player except the owner. A player can croquet a black ball away from the cups. Players keep on if they deposit or croquet. It a miss is made the next player goes on. The full number that the cup counts is fifty-four, (54.) The king number, or number nine, counts double, making eighteen. Each player is to continue the game until all balls are deposited. If any players ball is knocked out ofthe cups, it gives the owner a chance to continue playing, and adds to his count. The player who counts the highest number wins the game. No player can croquet the balls out of the cups. It he should hit them, and they come out, it will count as a miss, and the next pla-yer goes on. If he should accidentally knock a ball out and deposit his own, if he has another ball he can continue on playing. Players hitting other players balls can place their balls to croquet anywhere.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-V l. The cup A, constructed substantially as described, to be driven into the ground, for the purposes of a game, as set forth.

2. The game of bagatelle croquet, the material parts of which consist of the ground cups A, balls G, king B, and mallet l), substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

MATTHEW C. BOGIA. y THEO. A. ZIMMERMAN. Witnesses as to MATTHEW C. Boem:

JOHN A. WrEDEEsHEiM, MILLARD F. VALTON. v Witnesses as to THEO. A. ZIMMERMANz- Jos. S. BLAUVELT, ENocH BARKEE. 

